


Operation: WOO 76

by snarechan



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Humor, Interior Decorating, M/M, Music, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-31 10:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18589204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarechan/pseuds/snarechan
Summary: Gabriel isveryparticular about the setup of his office; Jack can personally attest to this.





	Operation: WOO 76

**Author's Note:**

> Quite some time ago clickclickBANG (or better known as SegadorYSoldado on twitter) had threads and threads of content relating to the significance of maps in _Overwatch_. [One such post](https://twitter.com/SegadorYSoldado/status/1078024701404839936) in particular inspired me to write this story. 
> 
> Edited by Philophrosynae, who's graciously volunteered to step up and beta read my upcoming content! Any remaining errors are my own, though.

The Overwatch base was a warzone.

Metal beams were half exposed. Walls were cut wide open or completely missing. The floors were mostly poured concrete and littered with dusty footprints from people running around. Electrical wiring was exposed from the ceilings.

It was still a work in progress, Jack reminded himself as he traversed the hallways during all the construction. He carted around two cups of coffee, one in each hand. Jack had sealed the recyclable containers with a lid to protect from the abundance of dust motes floating in the air.

He didn't worry about spilling any of it. Despite dressing down to just his sleeveless, blue duster and a compression shirt, the contractors and staff recognized him on sight. They gave Jack a wide berth as he marched.

In particular, a commotion around the corner had most people scurrying in the opposite direction. Some sent Jack worrying looks before they diverted their eyes, others gave him a curt 'sir' as they hurried away from the mounting argument. Jack greeted them all the same, with a calm tone and nod of the head. He didn't falter as he closed the distance between him and his destination.

Soon this part of the building was abandoned, except for two men. Gabriel was one of them, standing resolute in front of an open door across from a bank of windows. He stared down the other man, his arms crossed and hands gripping his biceps in obvious malcontent. His glower was more severe than usual under the shadow of his beanie.

The focus of Gabriel's ire appeared to be a construction worker. He recognized him as the most recent replacement sub-contractor. Jack had been forced to hire the man earlier in the week when the last builder walked out mid-project, after the _initial_ contractor did.

Gabriel’s insistence that he oversee every aspect of his division had him going through the contracting staff almost monthly. Although, to this newest addition's credit he was holding his own a lot better than his predecessors. While Gabriel loomed over him, the sub-contractor stood his ground.

"I, you say, _I_ have no vision?" the man yelled up at Gabriel in thick Italian. "No, that's— How _dare you!_ I am the visionary, with all the, the _vision!_ And you are the one with no vision, you visionless—"

Stopping a short distance from them, Jack cleared his throat. At his announcement, Gabriel went from glowering at the shorter man to gazing imploringly at Jack in a combination of 'are you getting a load of this guy?' and 'spare. me.'

As for the sub-contractor, he whirled around rearing for another fight until he registered who, exactly, he was about to unleash his fury on. Even if he _didn't_ remember, the partially built statue with Jack's likeness out the set of windows at his back might have reminded him. The builder backpedaled, sucking in a deep breath, and Jack took the chance to interject.

"Hello, Mr. Rizzo," Jack said, offering up the coffee cup marked 'Reyes'. "I came to inspect your progress, but you look stressed. It seems to me like you've been overworking yourself. Please, take an additional break and enjoy the facilities. I've heard our new pastry chef just got her equipment up and running this morning."

The sub-contractor sniffed haughtily at the proffered drink, but when Jack sweetened the deal with _at no additional charge, of course_ he accepted it with a curt 'grazie'. Jack waited until Mr. Rizzo was out of earshot before sending Gabriel a pointed stare in the form of a raised eyebrow, asking the other man without words to explain himself.

"What, you didn't bring _me_ any coffee?" Gabriel asked gruffly, in blatant refusal to answer Jack's question.

"I'm afraid it was lost in the line of duty," Jack said. He took a deliberate sip from his own drink before asking, "Well, are you at least going to show me what almost cost us a _third_ sub-contractor so far?"

He knew Gabriel couldn't resist showing off his pet projects, and this was no exception. Gabriel caved with a chuckle. His shoulders slumped before he ushered Jack inside the office with a hand on the small of his back.

There was a single, extra-wide desk. The room had no place to sit and the word ‘desk’ was used loosely. It was more of a table, its surface long enough to accommodate three people on one side. Thick coils of wire protruded out the back and plugged into several power sources and connector boxes.

Those were attached to a _multitude_ of screens haphazardly strewn about the space. Some were mounted to the wall, whereas the rest had been left on the floor while they were worked on. Mixed in was some advanced audio equipment, like speakers. Lights hung exposed from the ceiling, not yet secured into their proper places.

Jack remembered reviewing the blueprints and approving the funding for the different aspects of technology. The room was a hodgepodge of questionable taste _now_ , but when, or if, this task were completed then Blackwatch, and in turn Overwatch, would be a real contender. Gabriel would be able to access live feeds from across the globe, control whole field operations from a single console, and a number of other tasks.

While Gabriel regaled him with reminders of all of this, Jack couldn't help noticing _him –_ how enthused Gabriel was. Despite the obvious troubles with installation, it was clear to him that the other man was excited and hopeful at his new prospects. The expression had been lacking lately, and Jack was relieved to see him this animated again. If it cost them a worker or two, it might just be a small price to pay.

"Hey, what's that look for?" Gabriel asked, drawing Jack out of his thoughts. During his explanations, Gabriel had snatched the coffee cup Jack had set on the desk. He’d been in the middle of stealing some when he gave Jack a curious look over the rim. It took a mortifying minute for Jack to realize he'd been left _gazing_ at Gabriel, probably with the goofiest smile on his face.

"Sorry," he started. Jack ran his hand along the smooth casing of the desk while he formulated a response. While powered down it was difficult to tell, but eventually the touch capabilities and hologram projectors of the device would allow for ease of multitasking. "I just…was thinking back, is all. There was a time when we didn't have more than the guns in our hands and a prayer to get by. Near the end you practically won the war with a defunct humvee and a paperclip."

Now it was Gabriel's turn to openly stare at him. In the face of his scrutiny, Jack shrugged. "Now look at us. You took us so far with so little, and I can't wait to see what you'll do with _more._ "

"Aw, Jackie," Gabriel said, setting the coffee container down to press his body in closer. Jack refrained from following the other man's movements with his eyes, instead feeling the way Gabriel wrapped an arm around his waist. "For starters, it was a stapler and not a paperclip. Jot that down for my memoir."

Jack snorted, only putting up minor resistance to Gabriel's touch. "Alright, and what else?"

"I did have a _little_ help."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Not a lot, just a small amount. Torbjörn would count as pretty small, right?"

"Should I be insulted on his behalf or that I don't even get an honorable mention?" Jack asked, feigning that he was going to pull away and break their contact.

Gabriel wouldn't allow it. He applied a bit of additional pressure to tug Jack between his legs, his thighs keeping him stationary. "Come on, don't be like that. I _am_ grateful for your contributions. Even put together a little surprise for you." At the dubious look he received, Gabriel called out, "Computer, activate protocol whiskey-double-oscar seven-six."

The entrance door automatically swung closed, its lock mechanism activating with a sharp hiss. Any lit screens went dark. What lights were available lowered, switching from a soft white to dimmer hues in red and blue. The colors washed their part of the room in soft shades of purple. From one of the operating speakers played music; it was garbled at this stage of development, but Jack could just make out the words.

" _I've been really tryin', baby. Tryin' to hold back this feeling for so long. And if you feel like I feel, baby, then, c'mon, oh, c'mon. Let's get it on…_ "

Jack burst out laughing.

He couldn't stop himself even if he'd had a choice. The urge struck Jack so strongly that he hunched over, needing to plant both hands on the desk on either side of Gabriel's hips. He pressed his face into the other man's shoulder while the rest of him leaned on Gabriel for support.

"Really? Seventies porno music?" Jack asked, finally able to raise his head up. He registered that Gabriel's lips were inches from his own, and Gabriel took advantage of his startled hesitation to lure him into a kiss. Jack's hands unconsciously slid to rest on Gabriel's front during the whole affair.

"Mm. It worked, didn't it?"

"You're so old school," Jack teased between intervals.

"Same as you—" A chime went off, causing Jack to startle. Gabriel wasn't as jumpy, it obvious he knew the source of the noise and what it meant. He growled into their kiss, "Computer, _identify._ "

The scanner next to the door lit up, showing an exterior view directly outside the room. Mr. Rizzo was back, brandishing several tablets under his arm and a vicious looking pair of pliers. Jack’s suggestion for pastries must not have gone over as well as he thought, considering the sub-contractor was back with a vengeance.

He wanted to linger, but reluctantly Jack ended their kiss. "Come on, you can't keep your installer waiting."

"I could," Gabriel volunteered. "Maybe test his system a bit more, make sure there's no bugs."

"I'll catch up with you later. I think there's some 'programming' of my own that I should do in my own office," he said with finality. Although Jack didn't remember when they got there, he removed his hands from under Gabriel's hoodie and righted the fabric as he did. "If you _behave_ , you might even get the private tour."

Gabriel rumbled in approval, giving Jack one last squeeze before letting go. "Seeing as I'm always on my best behavior, I'm holding you to that."

Snatching his coffee on the way out, Jack made for the door. On the screen, Mr. Rizzo could be seen pounding angrily on the exterior. Jack overrode the lock, which in turn reset the room to its default presentation. He was met with the sub-contractor making a valiant effort to break in. Mr. Rizzo paused in his tirade to tip his hard hat at Jack, who nodded his chin at him in salutation.

"Hello again, Mr. Rizzo. I just had a talk with Commander Reyes and he’s all yours. Let me know if there's any more trouble," Jack said in passing.

Gabriel might have grumbled something scathing, but it was lost as Mr. Rizzo showered Jack with praises and smiles. Then he charged into the room, raising his tool like a weapon and resuming his irate Italian. Jack left them to hash matters out as he finished his depleted drink. He then headed towards his own office, intent on making some last minute changes.

**Author's Note:**

> For those unfamiliar with the lyrics used in this story, credit goes to [Marvin Gaye for his song "Let's Get It On"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vAiESu5wrA). I couldn't work it in, but everyone should be aware that this is but the _first song_ in Reyes' playlist to serenade his Strike-Commander. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Check out my [writing blog on Tumblr](http://snaurus.tumblr.com/) for more content or [come say hi to me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/snaurus)!


End file.
